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Friday, July 13, 2012

Clarinets in the Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments

Sir Nicholas Shackleton (1937-2006) made invaluable contributions to the study of the development of the clarinet, and after his death his collection of over 800 historic clarinets as well as other instruments were bequeathed to the University of Edinburgh. On the university's website are numerous close-up photographs of rare and early clarinets, along with a historical overview of the technical developments and innovations made to the clarinet. The Shackleton collection was inaugurated during the 2007 Clarinet and Woodwind Colloquium where several early-music specialists such as Colin Lawson, Alan Hacker, and Antony Pay performed and lectured. Check out John Robert Brown's report on the musical events, presentations, and recitals from the colloquium here.